Friday, April 25, 2008

The Panzer III Medium Tank was the main German battle tank for the first two and a half years of the Second World War, only beginning to lose that status after the appearance of the Panzer IV Ausf F2 in March 1942. Until then the Panzer III had been the only German designed tank armed with a gun designed to penetrate enemy armour.

The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf A was the first developmental version of the Panzer III, but even though only ten were produced the type still saw active service in Poland in 1939.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf B was the second development version of the Panzer III, produced during 1937 with a different suspension system.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf C was the third development version of the Panzer III, and featured another attempt to improve the suspension, the main weak point in the earlier designs. The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf D was the fourth and final development version of the Panzer III, and saw a final attempt to improve the suspension system first adopted on the Ausf B.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf E was the first mass produced version of the Panzer III, after four pre-production series.The Panzerhampfwagen III Ausf F was the second mass-production version of the Panzer III and the first to be built in significant numbers.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf G was very similar to the previous Ausf F, although most of the production run received the larger 5cm KwK L/42 gun.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf H had been intended to be the first version of the Panzer III to use the 5cm KwK gun when 759 were ordered in January 1939, but the use of that gun on the majority of Ausf Gs and the imminent arrival of the improved Ausf J meant that only 308 would be produced.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf J (5cm KwK L/42) saw the frontal armour of the Panzer III increased in thickness from 30mm to 50mm, and was produced with the 5cm KwK L/42 from the start.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf J (5cm KwK39 L/60) was produced after Hitler insisted on the use of a longer gun in the Panzer III.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf L was the first of two interim versions of the Panzer III produced while attempts to fit a larger gun to the tank were under way.The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf M was the second of two interim versions of the tank produced while attempts to fit a larger gun to the tank were under way and was virtually identical to the Ausf L, but with the addition of fording equipment, which allowed it to wade through four or five feet of waterThe Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf N was the final production version of the standard Panzer III, and the only version to be armed with the 7.5cm KwK L/24 gun.

The skirmish at Alcoentre of 8 October 1810 was a minor incident in the final stage of Wellington’s retreat into the Lines of Torres Vedras in the autumn of 1810 and saw the French nearly capture a British horse artillery battery.The combat of Alemquer of 9 October 1810 was the last fighting between the British rearguard and the French cavalry during the retreat into the Lines of Torres Vedras in the autumn of 1810.

No.142 Squadron began the Second World War as a Fairey Battle squadron, suffering heavily during the invasion of France. It then converted to the Wellington, operating from Britain and then in the Mediterranean, before ending the war as a Mosquito equipped pathfinder squadron.No.144 Squadron spent the first half of the Second World War as a bomber squadron equipped with the Handley Page Hampden, and the second half with Coastal Command, for most of that time serving as a torpedo bomber squadron using the Beaufighter.No.148 Squadron went through three very different incarnations during the Second World War, first as a training unit, then as a bomber unit based on Malta and finally as a Special Duties squadron based in Libya and finally Italy.No.149 "East India" Squadron was a mainstay of Bomber Command, taking part on the Strategic Bombing campaign from its beginnings in May 1940 until the very end of the war.No.150 Squadron went through two incarnations during the Second World War, starting as a Fairey Battle Squadron, which later converted to the Wellington and was posted to the Mediterranean, before being reformed late in 1944 as a Lancaster bomber squadron.17 April

The Lines of Torres Vedras, on the peninsula north of Lisbon, are the most famous fortifications of the Napoleonic Wars, and in 1810 were the only thing that saved Wellington from having to evacuate his army from Portugal during Marshal Masséna’s invasion of the country.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

No. 102 "Ceylon" Squadron was a heavy bomber command squadron that served with Bomber Command for most of the Second World War, equipped first with the Whitley and then with the Handley Page Halifax.No. 103 Squadron began the war as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force, suffering very heavy loses while equipped with the Fairey Battle. By the end of 1940 it had joined Bomber Command, and took part in the night bombing campaign for the rest of the war.No. 104 Squadron began the war as a Group Training Squadron, spend most of 1941 operating as a night bomber squadron from Driffield, before moving to the Mediterranean, where it remained for the rest of the war.No. 105 Squadron began the Second World War equipped with the Fairey Battle, suffering heavily during the Battle of France. After a short spell with the Blenheim, it converted to the De Havilland Mosquito, first as a low-level daylight bomber and later as a pathfinder.No. 106 Squadron began the Second World War as an operational training squadron, only starting combat operations in September 1940. After a brief spell with the Avro Manchester, it received the Lancaster in May 1942 and operated with that aircraft until the end of the war.No.107 Squadron began the Second World War by taking part in the first British air raid against a German target, before taking part in the battle of France, the defence of Malta and Coastal COmmand's anti-submarine campaign. The squardon ended the war as a night intruder squadron equipped with the MosquitoNo. 108 Squadron went through three very different incarnations during the Second World War, starting as a training squadron in Britain, before becoming a night bomber squadron in the Mediterranean and finally a night fighter squadron, operating in Libya, Malta, Egypt and finally Greece.No. 109 Squadron was formed from the Wireless Intelligence Development Unit in December 1940, and spent the next three years involved in scientific development, before joining the Pathfinders at the end of 1943.No. 110 "Hyderbad" Squadron served in two very different roles during the Second World War, spending 1939-1942 operating as a Blenheim bomber squadron from Britain and the rest of the war as a ground attack squadron operating over Burma.No. 114 "Hong Kong" Squadron began the Second World War as a Blenheim squadron, soon joining the RAF contingent in France. The squadron fought during the German invasion of the west, then took part in the attack on the invasion ports, before moving to North Africa in 1942, fighting on Sicily and in Italy.No.115 Squadron was as near as any a typical Bomber Command squadron, operating with the main bomber from bases in East Anglia for the entire war.No. 138 Squadron was a Special Duties squadron which spent most of the Second World War carrying out supply drops to resistance movements in Occupied Europe.No. 139 Squadron was unfortunate enought to be caught up in two military disasters in the early days of the Second World War, first in France in 1940 and then in Burma in 1942. It ended the war as a Pathfinder squadron, equipped with the Mosquito.

Marshal Masséna’s invasion of Portugal of September 1810-March 1811 was intended to be the final campaign of the French invasion of Iberia, ending the Peninsular War, but instead the French ran up against the Lines of Torres Vedras, and the campaign ended in a disastrous retreat.The battle of Bussaco of 27 September 1810 was the one major battle during Marshal Masséna’s invasion of Portugal of 1810, and was a costly French defeat suffered in an attempt to attack a very strong Allied position on the ridge at Bussaco.The first combat of Sobral of 12 October 1810 was the first of two skirmishes around the village of Sobral that would turn out to be the only French attacks on the Lines of Torres Vedras, the strong defensive position built to protect Lisbon.The second combat of Sobral of 14 October 1810 was a skirmish south of the village of Sobral that would turn out to be the most serious attack the French would launch against the Lines of Torres Vedras.The combat of Guarda of 29 March 1811 was a bloodless British victory in the last stages of Masséna’s retreat from Portugal.The combat of Sabugal of 3 April 1811 was the last serious fighting during Masséna’s retreat from Portugal in 1811, and was a missed chance for a major Allied victory over an isolated portion of Masséna’s army.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Vickers Archer tank destroyer came about because of a need to make the 17 pounder anti tank gun more mobile. Designed as a stop gap measure, the Archer proved to be a hard hitting and effective vehicle.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Lieutenant General Hatazo Adachi commanded the Japanese forces on New Guinea from November 1942 until the end of the Second World War.Field Marshal Harold Alexander was one of the most successful senior British generals of the Second World War, and proved to be an able commander of coalition armies.General Korechika Anami was a Japanese general and polititian who played a part in the rise of General Tojo, but whose loyalty to the Emperor helped to foil the coup attempt of 14-15 August 1945.General Wladyslaw Anders was a Polish general who commanded the Polish II Corps during the fighting in the Western Desert and in Italy, taking part in the final capture of Monte Cassino in May 1944.General Aleksei I. Antonov was a Soviet general who rose to be Head of Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Red Army from 1942 to 1945.Rear Admiral Masafumi Arima was a Japanese army officer famous for being one of the earliest "kamikaze" pilots, flying his own suicide mission just before the official start of kamikaze missions.Colonel General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim was a Prussian general who is best known for having commanded the German forces in Tunisia towards the end of the fighting in North Africa in 1943.

The French invasion of Portugal of November 1807 was the first campaign of what would become the Peninsular War.The Peninsular War was one of Napoleon’s greatest blunders, leading to seven years of warfare and ending with an invasion of France, but it began with a an almost effortless invasion of Spain, which saw the occupation of Madrid, Old Castile and the fortresses on the Pyrenees, and was followed by a cynical but well managed abduction of the Spanish royal family.